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It’s one of the biggest events in Britain this year, but despite being covered by TV, radio and digital media, few advertisements will be muscling in on the attention around the coronation of King Charles III. But that hasn’t prevented brands from trying.
The coronation will be a very different affair from those of previous monarchs, and while it is a holiday weekend across the nation, the joy and celebration are likely to be muted. The ceremony will be a very old-fashioned affair, performed in front of various generations who have never seen anything like it. And the sentiment is much changed from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
According to research from Hall & Partners, which interviewed 2,000 people in the U.K. and U.S., nearly a third of Americans (29%) and 23% of Brits feel the monarchy is outdated. The same number of Americans also believe the royal family are out of touch, alongside 20% of Brits.
This follows the general outpouring of grief and respect after the queen’s passing last year, which saw Britain spend over a week in mourning, with millions of people paying their respects in their own ways (including queuing for hours to view the queen’s body lying in state at Westminster Abbey).
According to research firm YouGov, the majority of Brits (70%) believe that brand tributes to the king are simply PR opportunities, based on a poll of 2,605 adults. Less than 1 in 10 (9%) think brands sincerely wish to pay respect to the king, which follows research that found similar negativity around brands paying respects to the late queen last year.
According to Sprinklr, a customer experience management platform that tracks social media engagement, the coronation has received more than 1.8 million mentions ahead of the May 6 ceremony—while anti-monarchy sentiment has been even louder, with #NotMyKing notching 2.65 million mentions.
But the bunting is still out and cheap memorabilia with King Charles’ face looking solemn now appears on teacups and plates across the land. And the ads are not far behind.
The crowning command to advertisers
Once the date of the coronation was confirmed, British advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) was quick to outline the rules around featuring the monarchy commercially.
The main rule is that “members of the royal family should not be shown or mentioned in marketing communications without their prior permission.” Harry and Meghan will be pleased.